


true aim

by mornen



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Bickering, Children, Family, Gen, Short, Short lectures, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24560374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mornen/pseuds/mornen
Summary: Elladan breaks Elrond's window when playing too close to the house.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	true aim

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ilya_Boltagon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilya_Boltagon/gifts).



> First line prompt by Ilya_Boltagon 
> 
> "Elladan looked around in dismay, his heart sinking – there was no explanation for this that Adar would accept."

Elladan looked around in dismay, his heart sinking – there was no explanation for this that Adar would accept.

‘It’s not as bad as it looks,’ Elrohir said. He sat on their parents’ bed, legs crossed, with his hand resting underneath his chin. 

‘Okay, but you’re not on the hook,’ Elladan said. 

Elrohir sucked his breath in. 

‘Right.’ 

They looked down at the shattered stained glass on the floor. 

‘I can’t believe you broke the whole window,’ Elrohir said. 

‘Stop,’ Elladan said. ‘Please. I’m gonna tell him you did it.’ 

‘I take offence to that,’ Elrohir said, flipping his braid over his shoulder. 

‘Mmm.’ Elladan looked at the setting sun. His father would be back soon. And just after he’d been told to be careful. He should not have been practising throwing a stick like a javelin right outside the house. It had gone straight through the window, taking the whole thing out. The heavy stick lay on the dark floor among the shattered glass. 

‘What if I run away?’ he said. ‘I don’t want him to call me irresponsible.’ 

‘And running away is responsible?’ Elrohir said. ‘Yeah, that makes sense.’ 

‘Shut up.’ Elladan wrung his hands. ‘Oh, I don’t know what to do.’ 

‘Accept your fate and die bravely,’ Elrohir said, voice light. He knew that Elrond would never hurt either of them. 

‘That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to die.’ Elladan ran his hand over his hair. ‘Maybe the wind threw the branch.’ 

‘Mmm, I believe that,’ Elrohir said. 

‘Stop,’ Elladan whined. ‘You’re not being helpful.’ 

‘Well, there’s nothing to be done,’ Elrohir said. ‘You broke his pretty window, and now he’s going to be very, very upset, and you’re going to have sit there and listen to them both tell you all about how irresponsible you are. Maybe Erestor will join. And Glorfindel.’ 

‘You’re so cruel to me,’ Elladan said. He picked the stick up off the floor. A piece of glass cut his finger. ‘Oh!’ He scraped at his finger, and the glass fell.

‘Just leave the stick,’ Elrohir said. 

But Elladan, who already had the stick in his hand, tossed it far out the broken window. 

‘We can just leave and pretend we don’t know what happened.’ 

‘Oh, that’s smart,’ Elrohir said. ‘I’m sure he’ll never know.’ 

Elladan wrinkled his nose at him. ‘I’m really sick of you.’ Elladan froze, hearing footsteps outside the door. 

‘It was nice knowing you,’ Elrohir said. ‘I’ll cherish your memory always.’

Elladan shot him a death glare. 

Elrond came in. He looked between the shattered glass and his sons. 

‘Are you hurt?’ He rushed to them. He took Elladan’s hands, seeing the spot of blood on his finger. 

‘No, no, I’m not hurt,’ Elladan said and started to cry. ‘I broke the window throwing the stick like a javelin! And I know you told me not to play that near the house, but I did anyway, and I broke the window, and then I threw the stick away, and that’s when I cut my hand, and I’m very, very sorry, and I know I’m irresponsible, and the stick went off course, and it went through the window, and it all broke, and I’m very, very sorry because it was so pretty, and I know how much you like it. And it was an accident! And I’m sorry!’ 

Elrond sighed. He took Elladan by the arms.

‘And Elrohir?’

‘Elrohir had nothing to do with it,’ Elladan said. ‘He wasn’t playing javelin by the house.’ 

Elrond nodded.

‘Don’t move.’ 

Elladan sniffed but didn’t move. 

Elrond lifted Elrohir off the bed and set him down in the hall so that he wouldn’t cut his feet on the glass. 

‘Elrohir, go see your mother.’ 

Elrohir nodded and hurried off. 

Elrond then lifted Elladan up so that he wouldn’t cut his feet. He washed his cut finger and bandaged it. 

‘All right, Elladan.’ Elrond sighed. ‘What you did was very dangerous. You only broke the window, but you could have hurt someone. You could take an eye out throwing a stick around like that.’ 

Elladan swallowed and nodded. 

‘I’m sorry.’ 

‘Yes, you are,’ Elrond said. ‘But you have to be careful with your actions, because you can’t undo them no matter how sorry you are.’ 

Elladan nodded again. 

‘Things can be fixed,’ Elrond said. ‘So don’t cry about the window. But learn from this how quickly things can go array. And how even if you think your aim is true, it can still be changed.’ He tucked Elladan’s hair behind his ear. ‘And then don’t throw things where you might hurt people. Or our house,’ he added. 

‘I understand,’ Elladan said. ‘I won’t again.’

‘Thank you.’ Elrond kissed Elladan’s forehead. ‘Well,’ he said. ‘We’ll have to have a new window made. And this is a good time for you to learn how to handle glass, where you must practice being careful.’ 

Elladan smiled up at him.

‘Good,’ Elrond said. ‘Well, we’ll have to deal with the glass, and I suppose your mother and I will have to sleep somewhere else tonight. You should be glad it is summer and we won’t freeze.’ 

Elladan nodded. 

‘Gloves, and boots, and a broom and dustpan,’ Elrond said. 

Elladan followed him out into the hall. 

‘Are you very disappointed in me?’ Elladan asked.

‘No,’ Elrond said. ‘As hard as it is, you have to learn from your own mistakes. Such is the way of life.’ 

Elladan looked over his shoulder at the glass on the floor, gleaming in the setting sun. It was still beautiful, even when broken. Maybe that meant something about life too. Elladan gazed up at his father. 

Elrond lay his hand on his shoulder. He looked at the glass too. 

‘Such is the way of life,’ he said again. ‘Nothing lasts forever.’ 

Elladan nodded. Elrond said that a lot. He did not really know what it meant yet, but he was sure he would find out later, when he made more mistakes.


End file.
